Life in the modern society highly varies from the life in the past, which is due to the faster pace of life. People are no longer prepared to help one another, mainly because of his/her own success. Children quickly observer such behavior and it has already started to occur that they are no longer prepared to help their schoolmate. This has been the main reason that lead me to research peer assisted learning. Peer assisted learning is also a good way of teaching and developing empathy, cooperation among children and helping one another to succeed.
In the master’s thesis, mathematics is presented as a school subject, along with two different teaching approaches used in mathematics. The two approaches were linked with teaching forms that are most often used in each approach. The term peer learning and its different forms (such as collaborative learning, project-based learning, self-evaluation, peer evaluation, peer tutoring and volunteering; they are all being provided by school to students outside of the organized learning process) are explained and defined.
The purpose of the research is to determine, how to introduce collaborative learning into lessons of mathematics and what effects does it have on students’ knowledge. The research also establishes whether collaborative learning is present in school or not, what are the reasons behind this and how it is used. I sought to discover how students perceive collaborative learning that is whether it is used in their lessons and do they desire to see an increase of it.
The results have shown that teacher’s learning forms do not have so much impact on students’ achievements as was expected, and that class teachers more often as was predicted opt to use collaborative learning during mathematical lessons. Teachers do not perceive frontal teaching form as the best way to teach math. Students desire more collaborative learning, since it has a positive effect on their relationship with other classmates. Furthermore, it aids to reinforce and build friendship.
It is important to further dive into exploring and researching peer assisted learning in mathematics and also with other school subjects in primary school, because research helps to reinforce teachers’ awareness about the importance of using various teaching approaches and methods. Furthermore, the usage of peer assisted learning contributes into fostering children’s upbringing, nurture and development regarding collaboration and aiding one another, both being an overriding social value.
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